U.S. patent number 8,656,545 [Application Number 10/596,724] was granted by the patent office on 2014-02-25 for core for washing sponge roller.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Aion Co., Ltd.. The grantee listed for this patent is Hiroshi Miyaji, Noriyoshi Okuzono, Yoichi Tanaka. Invention is credited to Hiroshi Miyaji, Noriyoshi Okuzono, Yoichi Tanaka.
United States Patent |
8,656,545 |
Okuzono , et al. |
February 25, 2014 |
Core for washing sponge roller
Abstract
A core for a cleaning sponge roller and a cleaning sponge roller
set include a core and a cleaning sponge roller mounted on the
core. The core for the cleaning sponge roller is in a substantially
cylindrical shape including a bore extending in an axial direction
and a plurality of small holes communicating between the bore and a
circumferential outer surface of the core. The diameter of the bore
is 10 mm or more. The diameter of the small holes is 2.5 mm or
more. A total of cross-sectional areas of openings of all the small
holes is larger than a cross-sectional area of the bore.
Inventors: |
Okuzono; Noriyoshi (Koga,
JP), Miyaji; Hiroshi (Tokyo, JP), Tanaka;
Yoichi (Koga, JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Okuzono; Noriyoshi
Miyaji; Hiroshi
Tanaka; Yoichi |
Koga
Tokyo
Koga |
N/A
N/A
N/A |
JP
JP
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Aion Co., Ltd. (Osaka-shi,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
34746782 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/596,724 |
Filed: |
December 26, 2003 |
PCT
Filed: |
December 26, 2003 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/JP03/17059 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
June 22, 2006 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2005/065849 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
July 21, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20070163066 A1 |
Jul 19, 2007 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/88.3; 15/102;
15/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B08B
1/04 (20130101); B08B 3/04 (20130101); H01L
21/67046 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05C
1/08 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;15/230,77,102,88.2-88.4
;401/197 ;118/258,259 ;429/16-18 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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|
|
4566911 |
January 1986 |
Tomita et al. |
5806126 |
September 1998 |
de Larios et al. |
6076217 |
June 2000 |
Brunelli et al. |
6240588 |
June 2001 |
Dickey et al. |
6247197 |
June 2001 |
Vail et al. |
6308369 |
October 2001 |
Garcia et al. |
6467120 |
October 2002 |
Ziemins et al. |
6543084 |
April 2003 |
Dickey et al. |
7032269 |
April 2006 |
Mikhaylichenko et al. |
|
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2001-237209 |
|
Aug 2001 |
|
JP |
|
WO-00/51752 |
|
Sep 2000 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Patent Abstracts of Japan for JP2001-237209 published Aug. 31,
2001. cited by applicant .
International Search Report for PCT/JP2003/017059 mailed Mar. 16,
2004. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Van Nguyen; Dung
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oliff PLC
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A core for a cleaning sponge roller, the core being in a
substantially cylindrical shape comprising: a bore extending in an
axial direction and a plurality of small holes communicating
between the bore and a circumferential outer surface of the core,
the plurality of small holes are distributed both in a
circumferential direction and in an axial direction of the core and
aligned along straight lines in the axial direction, small holes in
one of the straight lines and small holes in a straight line
adjacent to the one of the straight lines are arranged on one and
the same circumference of the core; and grooves recessed in the
circumferential outer surface of the core and extending in the
axial direction of the core, the small holes opening into the
grooves, wherein: a diameter of the bore is 10 to 20 mm; a diameter
of the small holes is 2.5 to 5 mm; and a total of cross-sectional
areas of the plurality of the small holes is 1.2 to 5 times larger
than a cross-sectional area of the bore.
2. A core for a cleaning sponge roller as in claim 1, wherein the
number of the small holes opening into one groove is 2 to 5.
3. A core for a cleaning sponge roller as in claim 2, wherein the
number of the small holes opening into one groove in the axial
direction of the core takes a repeat pattern of 2, 3, or 4, or a
pattern of 2 and 3, 2 and 4, or 3 and 4.
4. A core for a cleaning sponge roller as in claim 2, wherein in
the circumferential direction of the core, either four or six
grooves are positioned at even intervals, and different numbers of
the small holes open into the adjacent grooves, where the number of
the small holes takes a repeat pattern in the circumferential
direction of the core.
5. A core for a cleaning sponge roller as in claim 1, wherein at
least one flange is attached either to one end or to both ends of
the core.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION
This is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371
of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2003/017059 filed
Dec. 26, 2003 which is incorporated by reference herein. The
International Application was published in Japanese on Jul. 21,
2005 as WO 2005/065849 A1 under PCT Article 21(2).
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a core for a cleaning sponge
roller, and more particularly to a core attached to a cleaning
sponge roller for use in a cleaning process of the manufacture of
substrate.
BACKGROUND ART
In the manufacture of an aluminum hard disc, a glass disk, a wafer,
a photo mask, or a liquid glass substrate, or the like, there is
carried out a precise polishing, the so-called polishing process,
using various grits, such as silicon oxide, alumina, ceria, in
order to finish the surface thereof with extremely high precision.
After the polishing step, abrasive grains and dust have adhered to
the surface of a polished article. Then there is in need of a
through clean in order to remove them.
Although there is ultrasonic cleaning or cleaning process using
water jet, scrub cleaning with a sponge roller of polyvinyl acetal
porous material is more commonly employed in order to attain great
cleaning effect or to cause less damage to the substrate.
Additionally, as a cleaning fluid, not only DI water but also
various chemicals, such as acid, alkali, solvent, suitable for
respective substrates, are used. As a cleaning fluid for a silicon
wafer, for example, a mixture of ammonia water and oxygenated
water, a mixture of diluted hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid
and oxygenated water, and the like are known.
Among sponge rollers of polyvinyl acetal porous material, a
cylindrical brush roller having many projections on the
circumferential surface thereof is commonly used for the cleaning,
where the tops of the projections are continuously in contact with
the surface of an article to be cleaned while the sponge roller is
being rotated so that good cleaning effect is achieved (see U.S.
Pat. No. 4,566,911). Since the contacts with the article to be
cleaned are made only in the projections, there are, in comparison
with a sponge roller having a smooth surface, advantages such as
less friction, less damage to the article to be cleaned, or an
advantage that dirt is readily passing thorough between the
projections together with the cleaning fluid and thus removed from
the article to be cleaned.
In a cleaning process respective dedicated cleaning devices for
each of substrates are usually used. In any of the devices, it is
common to rotate a sponge roller together with a core, which is
connected to a rotation driver and around which is covered with the
sponge roller, while the tops of the projections of the roller are
made contact with an article to be cleaned.
In some devices a cleaning fluid is supplied through a nozzle or
the like onto the upper portion or side of an article to be cleaned
or a sponge roller, and it is practically carried out to supply the
cleaning fluid into the sponge roller from the inside of the core
so as to enhance the cleaning capability. In the latter case the
core in a cylindrical shape has a hollow, and the cleaning fluid is
introduced at one end of the core and then supplied into the sponge
roller through holes communicating between the hollow portion and
the outer surface of the core, and then flows out onto the outer
surface of the sponge roller.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,588 there is disclosed a brush core
characterized by having a first plurality of holes aligned along a
line in an axial direction of the core and a second plurality of
holes aligned along a line in an axial direction of the core, where
the first plurality of holes being located to offset relative to
the second plurality of holes, the first plurality of holes and the
second plurality of holes are alternately repeated around the core,
and the first plurality of holes and the second plurality of holes
are located in the channels recessed in the outer surface of the
core. The bore defined through a middle of the core has a diameter
of 0.060.about.0.35 inches (1.524.about.8.89 mm).
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,084 there is disclosed a brush core
comprising an elongated member, the elongated member having a
plurality of fluid discharge surfaces around and spaced from the
central axis thereof, the plurality of fluid discharge surfaces
being spaced from one another, and the elongated member has a fluid
supply bore at its center with a diameter of 0.060.about.0.35
inches (1.524.about.8.89 mm), the elongated member having a
plurality of holes communicating between the fluid supply bore and
the fluid discharge surfaces. The plurality of holes communicating
between the fluid supply bore and the fluid discharge surfaces each
have a diameter of 0.005.about.0.092 inches (0.127.about.2.34
mm).
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,369 there is disclosed a brush assembly in a
wafer cleaning system comprising a brush core having channels cut
into the surface in an axial direction, a first cylindrical sleeve
being concentric with the brush core, and a second sleeve (a brush
body), the channels allowing a fluid to flow in an axial direction
and then to the first and second sleeves.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,247,197 and 5,806,126 there are disclosed
devices having a cleaning brush mounted thereon.
In the conventional devices, however, there was a problem that the
supply of a cleaning fluid from a core to a sponge roller was
extremely nonuniform, and thus it was difficult to flow out the
cleaning fluid evenly over the outer surface of the roller.
Furthermore, in the cleaning step a plurality of different types of
cleaning fluid are often used in turn, and when the cleaning fluid
in use is changed to another cleaning fluid, there is a problem
that the cleaning fluid previously used remains in the bore of a
core or in a cleaning sponge roller, and it took a long time to
change the cleaning fluids.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is to provide a core for a cleaning sponge
roller with which it is possible to distribute a cleaning fluid
evenly over the entire outer surface area of the core, that is, to
supply the cleaning fluid evenly to the sponge roller, and the
replacement of the cleaning fluid is finished quickly upon change
of the cleaning fluids. In the core of the conventional sponge
roller, the very small area of the opening portion of small holes
in communication with the bore portion was one of the reasons that
the supply of the cleaning fluid to the sponge roller was extremely
uneven and therefore it was difficult to flow out the cleaning
fluid evenly over the outer surface of the roller.
The present invention relates to a substantially cylindrical core
for a cleaning sponge roller having a bore extending in an axial
direction and a plurality of small holes communicating between the
bore and the circumferential outer surface of the core,
characterized in that the diameter of the bore is 10 mm or more and
the diameter of the small hole is 2.5 mm or more, and a total of
the cross section areas of the openings of all the small holes is
larger than the cross section area of the bore.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A to 1D in combination show an exemplary core for a cleaning
sponge roller according to the present invention, FIG. 1A is a
cross sectional view along an axial direction of the core, and FIG.
1B is a right side elevation view of the core, FIG. 1D is a front
elevation view of the core, and FIG. 1C is a side cross sectional
view along the line B-B of FIG. 1D. FIG. 1D' is a front elevation
view of the core in another aspect different from that shown in
FIG. 1D.
FIGS. 2A to 2B in combination show a core for a cleaning sponge
roller according to another embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view along an axial direction of the
core and FIG. 2B is a right side elevation view of the core.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
With reference to FIGS. 1A to 1D of the drawing, the present
invention will be described. FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view of
an exemplary core for a cleaning sponge roller of the present
invention, FIG. 1B is a right side elevation view thereof, and FIG.
1C is a side cross sectional view along the line B-B. As shown in
FIGS. 1A to 1D, core 1 is a tubular cylindrical shape, having a
bore 2 extending in a longitudinal direction and a plurality of
small holes 3 communicating between the bore 2 and the outer
surface 5 of the core. The diameter of the bore is 10 mm or more,
preferably 10 mm to 20 mm, more specifically 12 mm to 15 mm, and
the diameter of the small holes is 2.5 mm or more, preferably 2.5
mm to 5 mm, more specifically 2.8 mm to 4 mm. Additionally, a total
of the cross section areas of the openings of all the small holes
is larger than the cross section area of the bore, preferably 1.2
to 5 times larger, more specifically 1.5 to 3 times larger. As
exemplified in the drawing, in case where, for example, the
diameter of the bore is 10 mm and the diameter of the small hole is
2.5 mm, the cross sectional area of the bore is approximately 0.785
cm.sup.2, and as the number of the small holes is 40, the total
cross section areas of the openings of all the small holes is
approximately 1.96 cm.sup.2, which is approximately 2.5 times
larger than the cross section area of the bore. Taking such
configuration can reduce the pressure loss of fluid in the small
holes, and thus the pressure of a fluid supply can be set lower.
Accordingly, since a cleaning fluid spreads gradually into the
sponge roller through the small holes, the cleaning fluid can be
supplied uniformly all over the surface of the sponge roller
through the small holes without the cleaning fluid flowing out
locally over the outer surface of the sponge roller. In addition,
since there is no portion where the cleaning fluid can hardly be
replaced due to the short pass upon change of the cleaning fluid,
the change of the cleaning fluid can be finished quickly.
The plurality of small holes formed in the core of the present
invention are preferably distributed over both in a circumferential
direction and in an axial direction of the core, and aligned along
a line in the axial direction. Additionally, the small holes placed
in one of the lines and the small holes placed in an adjacent line
are arranged on the same circumference of the core. For instance,
in case the arrangement as shown in FIG. 1D and the arrangement in
FIG. 1D' are adjacent to each other, the small holes each at the
ends of the respective arrangements are on the same circumference,
and so are the second and third holes and so forth from the ends.
There are a plurality of grooves 4, 4', 4'' recessed in the
circumferential outer surface of the core in an axial direction of
the core, and in the respective grooves there is at least one small
hole opening, preferably two small holes or more, and each of the
grooves forms a cleaning fluid reserving and distributing area. The
width of the groove is preferably at least twice as large as the
diameter of the small hole.
In FIG. 1D, four small holes open into groove 4, two into groove
4', and four into groove 4''. The number of the small holes opening
into one groove is ordinarily 2 to 5, and more preferably 2 to 4.
The number of the small holes opening into one groove is preferably
a repeat pattern of 2, 3, or 4, or a pattern of 2 and 3, 2 and 4,
or 3 and 4 in an axial direction of the core. For example, when the
total number of the small holes arranged in one axial-line is 10, a
preferable pattern is (2, 2, 2, 2, 2), (2, 3, 3, 2), (4, 2, 4) or
(3, 4, 3). Although there is no limitation on the total number of
the small holes arranged in one axial line, it may ordinarily be
chosen from the range of 5 to 20. The space between the small holes
adjacent to each other may be the same for all the small holes, and
however the space at the ends may be different from the space in
the middle. These patterns are appropriately set so that the flow
of the cleaning fluid both in an axial direction and in a
circumferential direction of the core can be controlled thereby to
achieve the optimum cleaning effect. If the opening portion of the
small hole would make contact directly with the inner surface of
the sponge roller, the distribution of the cleaning fluid could
tend to be uneven. In order to avoid it, the above described
grooves form the stagnant distribution areas, and the cleaning
fluid can be supplied evenly and quickly in the longitudinal
direction of the sponge roller (not shown) mounted on the outer
surface 5 of the core.
In the circumferential direction of the core, preferably 4 to 8,
more preferably 4 to 6, grooves are positioned at even intervals.
In FIG. 1C, four grooves are positioned at even intervals. It is
especially desirable that in adjacent grooves in the
circumferential direction of the core, the numbers of the small
holes are different from one another. For example, the numbers of
the small holes are (4, 3, 4, 3) in the respective ends in the
circumferential direction, and (4, 2, 4) and (3, 4, 3) in an axial
direction, respectively. It corresponds to the patterns as shown in
FIG. 1D and in FIG. 1D' alternately repeated every 90 degrees.
Alternatively, there are (2, 4, 4, 2) in the respective ends in the
circumferential direction, and (2, 3, 3, 2) and (4, 2, 4) in an
axial direction, respectively. Those configurations allow a
cleaning fluid to be supplied evenly and quickly in the rotational
direction of a sponge roller (not shown).
One end portion 11 of the core is a sleeve to be inserted into a
rotation driver (not shown) of the cleaning device, and a bore 2
closes at the end portion 11. At the other end portion 10 of the
core, bore 2 opens, and a cleaning fluid supply pipe (not shown) is
connected to the end portion 10. The axial length and diameter of
the outer surface 5 of the core depend respectively on the axial
length and inner diameter of the sponge roller, and may be
respectively in the ranges of 50 to 500 mm and of 15 to 100 mm.
From the end portion 10 the cleaning sponge roller is being mounted
onto the core to complete a cleaning sponge roller set. As the
cleaning sponge roller itself, the well-known cleaning sponge
roller, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,911, can be
utilized.
Preferably, either the end portion 10 or both the end portions 10
and 11 are configured as flanges with diameters larger than the
diameter of the outer surface 5 of the core and may be detachable
by means of, for example, a screw or screws. In this case the
sponge roller is mounted on the core with the flange or flanges
being detached, and then the flange or flanges are fitted and fixed
for utilization of the sponge roller. The flange has an advantage
of preventing the sponge roller from shifting axially during the
cleaning process.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention, the portions of the outer
peripheral surface between the grooves both in an axial direction
and in a circumferential direction may be configured not to be
continuous but to be partially cut out. This configuration can
result not only in reduction of the material costs but also in
weight saving. There is especially no limitation of the materials,
and in consideration of the strength and resistance to chemicals to
be used, the materials may be chosen as may be needed from among
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetal, polycarbonate,
fluoroplastics, and rigid polyvinyl chloride. Additionally, for a
method for forming the core, for example, injection molding,
casting molding, or grinding may be selected as the case may
be.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The present invention provides a core on which a cleaning sponge
roller is mounted for use in a process of cleaning a disk, wafer,
and the like.
* * * * *